The Luna Nova Camping Trip
by itscedeverybody
Summary: Akko and the gang go on a camping trip. Hijinks ensue. Takes place about two months after the TV series.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lotte and Sucy were studying in their dorm room quietly. There had been around thirty uninterrupted minutes of quiet when they had heard a gentle knock at the door. Lotte looked up from her notes a bit confused. Surely that couldn't have been Akko that just knocked. No matter what the situation was, Akko would always enter the dorm room without hesitation. Lotte looked over to Sucy to see if she also heard the knock at the door, but she was either completely focused on studying magic potion vocabulary or she was entirely disinterested in the admittedly mundane situation. Lotte set her notes down, got to her feet, opened the dorm room door, and was surprised to see Diana Cavendish standing on the other side.

"Uh...Hi, Diana, what are you doing here?" Lotte said. Diana had only come by here once or twice in the two months following the incident with the missile, and Lotte assumed that she was here for the same reasons as before.

"I'm here to give Akko some notes for tomorrow's potion creation test. She wasn't in class today. Did she sleep in again?" Potion Creation was a newer class that had been introduced last month. Lotte knew that Akko had taken the class because it was more involved than the history classes that she routinely slept through. The problem was that the class was at eight in the morning and Akko was not a morning person in any capacity. She would either be very sluggish during class time or stay up, sleep in, and end up missing the class completely. On the days that Akko managed to make it to class, she would go back to her dorm room as soon as the hour-long class let out and sleep until noon. On the days that Akko was absent, Diana would take it upon herself to make a copy of the notes she took that day and give them to Akko so that she could study over the material she missed.

"She's actually not here, Diana." Sucy said from across the room, "We think she's taking a walk or getting breakfast or something."

"Would you like to come in for a minute?" Lotte said.

"I don't see why not." Diana said as she walked to the desk and sat down in the chair.

The girls shared some small talk about recent happenings around campus when Akko suddenly burst into the dorm room a few minutes later.

"Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys! She said yes! Let's start packing! I've got a _great_ spot in mind and there's a _super_ beautiful view like thirty seconds from the spot and if we see the sunset it'll be like a movie or something! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Akko had burst into the room like a hurricane and began packing several items into her bags as if she had been waiting for a situation such as this for a lifetime. Lotte and Sucy were taking this behavior in stride while Diana had been caught completely off guard. What could possibly have Akko so excited at an hour where she would usually be sleeping? The curiosity had only come a few seconds ago, but Akko's excited attitude made asking for context practically irresistible.

"Um...if you don't mind me asking, what's all this about?" Diana asked.

"The headmistress allowed us to go on a camping trip for the day!" Akko answered with the same excited and frantic speech that she entered the room with.

"A camping trip? How do you expect to go camping when we've got a test in Potion Creation tomorrow?" Diana inquired, visibly curious as to how Akko will accommodate for the class that she's been showing up irregularly for.

"I'll look over my notes before I go to sleep tonight! Oh, I see you have my notes! Thanks, Diana!" Akko snatched the notes out of Diana's hand and went back to furiously packing her bags.

"Okay, done! Let's go, guys!" Just as soon as Akko had started packing her camping bags, she had finished. She had appeared to have also packed some bags for Lotte and Sucy. The other two set their notes aside, took their bags in their hands, and began moving towards the door.

"Hold on a second, you three!" Diana said, trying to grasp the situation. Akko, Lotte, and Sucy had stopped at the exit of the room. "Akko, does the headmistress know that you three have a test tomorrow?"

"No worries, Diana!" said Akko, "We'll go to bed early and be back for class before eight!"

"Akko, I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but unlike Lotte and Sucy, you haven't been doing especially well in Potion Creation. I don't think that going camping is the best idea!"

Although it sounded like Diana had Akko's best interest in mind, her face didn't match her words. A few seconds of silence and an observing of Diana's facial expression was all that was needed. Suddenly, a huge smile grew on Akko's face.

"Do you want to come with us, Diana?"

End of Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The four witches had arrived in the woods where they would be staying the night. The group chose a spot in the woods to land at Akko's request.

"Okay! Let's take a look at the map and find our spot!" Akko said. She began to dig around in her bags for her map of the area. It took a few minutes, and for a while, everyone including Akko was beginning to worry that the map had gone unpacked, but after a while, the map was found, and the group began on their trek to find the camping spot that Akko was so excited about earlier that day.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Akko! I'm only coming along with you on this camping trip to make sure that you study for tomorrow's test!" Diana said.

"Aww, don't be like that Diana! I know that you want to go camping as much as the rest of us do! Besides, my grades in Potion Creation aren't that bad!" Akko replied nonchalantly.

"Lotte, you should read the map while I help Akko study her notes." insisted Diana.

As much as Akko didn't want to admit it, studying as much as possible during this trip would definitely be beneficial for her. Besides, she had studied with Diana a few times in the past, and it certainly wasn't a bad experience. Infact, she quite liked it. Akko dug her notes out of her bags, handed the map to Lotte, asked Sucy to help her out so the group would arrive to their camping spot as soon as possible, and slowed her pace to walk with Diana. After around ten minutes of walking, Lotte saw something that caused her a bit of concern.

"Uh, Akko? Do you think finding your spot is a good idea?" Lotte asked nervously.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akko asked curiously.

"There's a sign over there that says 'PRIVATE PROPERTY, DO NOT ENTER!'" Sucy answered as she pointed over to the hand-painted sign in question.

"Oh, it'll be fine, guys! It's not like we're doing anything illegal! We're just camping for the night! Let's keep walking!" Akko said with an enthusiastic smile.

"If you say so…" Lotte mumbled as she stuck a little closer to Sucy.

The group passed the sign and through a hole in the fence it was hanging on. Diana stopped and looked at the sign for a second. "That writing looks kind of familiar…" Before Diana could look at the sign for a second longer, Akko called for her to hurry up and Diana quickly followed.

It was about fifteen more minutes of hiking through the woods and studying before the group reached the camping spot that Akko was so excited about. "C'mon, guys!" she said, "Let's look at the view before we pitch the tent!" She ran over ahead of the group to a clearing in the trees and squealed in delight as if she had won the lottery. The other three witches caught up to Akko a few minutes later and were met with a breathtaking view. About fifty feet to the right from where the group stood was a waterfall that provided one of the most soothing sounds that nature had to offer. It was a sight to behold as well. The rushing water was mesmerizing and Sucy felt as if she could stare at it for days. Lotte was captivated by the bright blue sky as she looked off into the distance. There were a few clouds that Lotte decided to relax and stare at for a while. Akko and Diana were both looking at the mountains in the distance. Diana felt as if Akko had found a paradise. She began to think that she could use this place as a spot to relax if life proved to be a bit difficult at times. She would have to thank Akko for inviting her later. The group stayed in the clearing for around twenty minutes before returning to their camping spot.

"Okay, we don't want time to get away from us, so let's make sure we get everything together for the night!" Diana said, assuming a leadership role.

Akko decided to begin pitching the tent while Lotte and Sucy decided to begin gathering some firewood. Diana got her water bottle from her bag and was about to join Lotte and Sucy after she took a quick drink, but she noticed that Akko was struggling with the tent and decided to help her out. It wouldn't be kind to leave the person that invited her on this trip to struggle by themselves, after all.

"Uh...Hey, Akko, do you want some help with the tent?" asked Diana.

"Yes, please! I bet you know all there is to know about tent pitching, Diana!" Akko said with glee.

"Well, um...not really." Diana admitted, rather embarrassed. She couldn't see it, but she was positive her face was beginning to burn a bit pink.

"Heh heh, I see, then!" chuckled Akko.

"What do you mean?" Diana asked, beginning to become a bit flustered.

"You just like spending time with me, don't you?" Akko said with a big smile.

"Wha?! Ju-just keep pitching the tent!" Diana began to shake the tent around a bit in an attempt to hide her face because she was positive that her blush was intensifying.

"Yeah, that's totally it! Don't worry, Diana! I like spending time with you too!"

"How close do you think we are to being finished with this tent?!" Despite her best attempts at ignoring it, Diana was certain that her cheeks were as bright as a rose.

"Heh heh, we've barely started, Diana!"

End of Chapter 2.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The four witches had finally finished getting everything they needed. They took a bit of a break and Diana decided to help Akko study some more. The seemingly boring studying was actually doing wonders. Akko's comprehension of the material had picked up tremendously and Diana couldn't help but be impressed at her quick learning. As the afternoon carried on and began to become early evening, Diana was satisfied with Akko's memorization of the notes and decided to stop for the rest of the day.

"Alright! Let's celebrate by roasting some marshmallows and making s'mores!" Akko said as she made her way to her bags with a spring in her step.

"Huh, right now?" Lotte asked, confused.

"We have to wake up early tomorrow, so it makes sense to go through our nighttime activities now." Diana clarified.

"Oh, that makes sense!" Lotte said as Akko returned to the group and distributed the ingredients for the s'mores. The group worked together to light the fire and began to create the messy dessert. The girls proceeded to eat far too many s'mores and decided to relax and watch the fire burn the pieces of wood they collected. Suddenly, Akko had a great idea.

"Guys, let's tell ghost stories!"

"I don't think a ghost story can be effective unless it's night, Akko." Sucy said with a chuckle.

"Well, we won't get a chance to tonight! Let's strike while the iron's hot!" Akko replied enthusiastically.

"May as well!" Diana said, "I love ghost stories!"

"Really?! I had no idea!" Lotte said surprised.

"Heh heh, _really!_ " Diana replied while starting to giggle.

While the group appeared to have a shared appreciation for stories centered around the supernatural, they weren't very good at telling them. Their stories would end up trailing off into absurdities that involved things like U. or flying blue whales. Whenever the tales ended up becoming silly, the group always exploded into laughter. The sounds of the waterfall in the distance combined with the hilarity of the tales made for a very relaxing evening.

"Should one of us try to tell a _really_ scary story now?!" Akko said after the laughter of the most recent story subsided.

"I'll try!" Sucy said, trying to hold her laughter. She thought for a minute, but ended up using the rough ideas in her head to tell the story as she went along.

"One time, there was an important young noble man that wanted to branch out from his boring everyday life. He took his friends hiking in some woods much like these. The boys were on a mission to find a waterfall and an amazing view that they had heard about second hand. They decided against taking a map because of their hubris and the young man ended up getting separated from his friends. He wandered the woods for hours until the sun was about to set and he was sure that he would remain lost forever. Suddenly, he saw his friends in the distance and gave chase shouting "Hey!" over and over. Before he reached his friends, though, he slipped, hit his head on a rock and was knocked out. His friends thought they were hearing things, figured the young man had gone home without them, and left the woods together. The young man woke up in the middle of the night with all over his front. Hopelessly lost, dirty, and tired, he was doomed to wander these woods for the rest of time as a ghost shouting "Hey!" over and over in hopes that his friends would find him."

The group sat in silence for a second or two, unsure of whether or not the story had ended.

"How was that?" Sucy said with a grin, satisfied in her ability to string together a story in a short amount of time.

"That was pretty good, Sucy!" Lotte complemented, "If it was night time, I bet that would've scared me! What did you think, Akko? The group turned to face Akko, who appeared to be lost in thought. Apparently, the story was getting to her because she didn't answer Lotte's question.

"Akko, what did you think of Sucy's story?" Diana asked with some emphasis in hopes that it would break Akko out of her trance. She remained as silent as before.

"Hey, Akko! Akko!" Diana began shaking Akko's shoulder while emphasizing her name a little more. It finally got her attention.

"Huh? Oh yeah, your story was really good, Sucy! I bet that would scare a few people back at school!" Akko put on a fake smile and Diana noticed that she looked distressed. Sucy's ghost story must've scared her a bit.

"Well," Sucy began, "I feel like walking off all of those s'mores I ate. Would any of you guys like to join me on a walk?"

"Sure, I'll join!" Lotte said, eager to get a walk in before the sun went down.

"I'll stay here with Akko and review the notes one more time!" Diana said.

"Alright, Diana!" Lotte said, "We'll be back before the sun sets! Lotte and Sucy walked away from the campsite, leaving Akko and Diana alone at the fire. Diana threw a few more logs into the fire and grabbed the box of graham crackers, the pack of chocolate, and the bag of marshmallows eager to make one or two more s'mores before the sun set.

"Do you want another s'more, Akko?" Diana offered.

"Uh...sure." Akko practically mumbled, still thinking about Sucy's story. Diana began to roast a marshmallow on the fire and attempted to console Akko.

"Did Sucy's ghost story scare you, Akko?" Diana asked.

"What?! No way! That wasn't scary at all! I could think of a million stories that were scarier than that!" Akko said with false bravado. She added in a laugh with a fake smile in an attempt to sell Diana on the idea that she wasn't bothered at all, but Diana could see right through her.

"Really? Because it scared me." Diana said knowing the story didn't scare her a bit. She didn't care about lying, though. All she cared about at the moment was making Akko feel better.

"...Did it really?" Akko said almost in disbelief at the idea that someone calm and composed like Diana could be scared by something like a ghost story.

"It did." Diana answered. "After all of those silly stories we told, I didn't expect the last one to scare me as much as it did. I'm impressed that Sucy's story didn't scare you at all, Akko."

Akko sat in silence and stared at the fire for a second before speaking again.

"Hey, Diana?"

"Yes, Akko?"

"...I was lying just now. That story actually scared me a lot."

"Why didn't you just tell me a minute ago?"

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing. Ghost stories are kids stuff, you know? If I'm gonna become a splendid witch, then I can't be getting scared by things like that."

"It's okay to be scared by stuff like that, Akko."

"Why, Diana?"

"Admitting that you're scared of things doesn't make you a worse witch. It actually makes you a better person."

Akko thought about what Diana said and within seconds she grew a smile bigger than the one she was wearing while packing bags that morning. She turned her head to face Diana.

"That makes me feel a lot better. Thanks, Diana!"

"You're welcome, Akko. Here's your s'more!"

"Thanks. You're seriously amazing, Diana."

"Oh yeah?"

"Heh heh...Yeah!"

Diana could feel her face begin to heat up again. She knew her face was beginning to burn a bright pink again, but this time, she didn't mind. She finished making her s'more and noticed that the sun was beginning to set.

"Lotte and Sucy aren't back yet. You don't think that they're lost, do you?" Diana said, with a bit of concern beginning to rise up in her voice.

"Nah, they'll be back soon." Akko said, "I went on a hike with them once and noticed that Sucy dropped a mushroom every few steps so that we could find our way back the way we came in case we got lost."

"Really?" Diana stood up from where where she was sitting, followed the direction Sucy went in for a few steps, and noticed some stray mushrooms sitting about ten to twenty feet apart from each other.

"That's pretty smart!" Diana said.

"Yeah, she was doing it when we were looking for our camping spot earlier." said Akko. "You probably didn't notice because we were studying. Wait...weren't we gonna look over the notes one more time?"

"Oh, I didn't have any intention of doing that." admitted Diana, "I wanted to make you feel better because I noticed that the story bothered you."

Akko stared at Diana in amazement and got up from where she was sitting. She ran over to Diana and gave her a big hug. Diana was caught off guard, but didn't try to fight it. Instead, she enjoyed every moment of it.

"Thank you, Diana. Thanks so much." Akko said quietly.

"...You're welcome, Akko." Diana replied.

The two held the hug for a moment longer, and eventually Akko let go. Akko followed up the embrace by saying, "Hey, the sun's going down right now, do you want to go to the clearing and see the sunset?"

"Yes, let's!" Diana said.

The two hurried over to the clearing and were met with the same beautiful view that they saw when they first arrived at the campsite. The bright blue sky from earlier had been replaced with a breathtaking orange that made the view look like a painting.

"Hey, let's find a place to sit and eat our s'mores!" Akko said with a grin.

Akko and Diana found a flat piece of land that faced the sky and the waterfall. There was also a large rock that they could lean against. Relaxing, watching a sunset, listening to the therapeutic sounds the waterfall provided, and eating s'mores was pure bliss for the two. After they finished their desserts, they continued to watch the sun sink beneath the horizon while being completely encapsulated by its warm glow.

Diana broke the immersion for a second by saying, "Akko, my eyelids are getting heavy, but I don't want to leave this spot...may I lean my head against your shoulder for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, go ahead, Diana." said Akko.

Diana leaned her head down and rested it on Akko's right shoulder. She fell asleep almost immediately, and Akko was left alone looking at the sunset and listening to the waterfall. After Akko was positive she was asleep, she wrapped her hand around Diana's. It was such a nice moment, Akko wouldn't have minded if it went on forever. After a minute or two, Akko fell asleep as well.

Akko didn't see it, but when she held Diana's hand, a big smile formed on her face.

End of Chapter 3.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Despite being completely comfortable while falling asleep, Akko woke up only fifteen minutes later due to the warm sun completely disappearing behind the horizon and being replaced by a cool breeze. Unsure if Diana was still asleep or not, she shifted her head ever so slightly in order to look down at her. Sure enough, Diana was just as much asleep now as she was only a few minutes earlier. Akko was pleased to see that her and Diana were still holding hands.

"I can't believe this breeze isn't waking her up." Akko thought. "I bet this is a result of waking up at 8 AM for Potion Creation Class five days a week."

Realizing that the test that Diana had helped her study for was the next morning, Akko decided that although she wanted to stay like this with Diana for as long as possible, it would be for the best to wake Diana up and sleep in the tent that they had worked so hard to set up earlier. Lotte and Sucy were probably wondering where they were anyway. Before she woke Diana from her slumber, Akko took one final moment to admire Diana.

"She _must_ have been feeling some kind of fatigue because of taking the Potion Creation Class, and she came along with us on this camping trip to help me study for the test so my grade wouldn't suffer any more than it has. She's so amazing." Akko thought, "Heck, she even looks perfect while she sleeps!"

Deciding against letting Lotte and Sucy wait any longer or possibly begin to worry about them, Akko finally started to wake Diana up.

"Diana...hey, Diana!" Akko whispered as she shook Diana's shoulder ever so slightly. After a second or two, she opened her eyes and looked Akko's way.

"Morning, sleepy head!" Akko said with a grin. Diana responded to Akko with a slight smile which was soon accompanied by a yawn. Diana decided to fan her yawn with her left hand. However, when Diana lifted her left hand, she realized that it was still being held by Akko. Both witches broke out into a furious blush and let go of each other's hand.

Diana broke the silence by saying, "Th-thanks for letting me lean my head on your shoulder, Akko."

It was obvious to Akko that Diana was rather embarrassed by the whole situation, but she found Diana's reaction to be most endearing. Amidst her blush, Akko responded by smiling and saying, "No problem, Diana!"

"Lotte and Sucy are probably wondering where we are. Let's go back to the campsite." Akko said.

"Yeah, okay." Diana agreed, her blush still relatively strong.

The two returned to the campsite and were very careful about not making any noise. Diana stepped around any loose twigs with the careful attention and dignified grace that a Cavendish required while Akko had fun with the situation, hopping around the stray twigs as if she was a secret agent in a spy's action movie. Amidst her spy movie-like prowling around, Akko treated the tent as if it contained some important files she had to retrieve for a secret organization because she opened the tent very quietly so that Lotte and Sucy wouldn't wake up. Akko and Diana entered the tent and prepared to doze off, when something very unsettling was brought to their attention.

"Hey, Diana?"

"Yes, Akko?"

"I don't think Lotte or Sucy are in the tent…"

"..."

"Diana?"

"Yes, Akko?"

"Where do you think they are?"

"...They couldn't still be on their walk...right?"

As the tension in the tent passed its breaking point, the two witches burst out of the tent and immediately began to head in the direction that Lotte and Sucy left in for their evening stroll.

"Diana, what do you think will happen if we can't find them?!" Akko said, visibly and audibly distressed.

"Don't worry, Akko. We'll definitely find them." Diana said in a calm voice in order to console Akko. Diana then took out her wand and told Akko to do the same. They began to use their wands to light up the night so that they could see each other easier. They made sure not to make their lights too bright because doing do might attract an unwanted third party.

"We'll follow the trail of mushrooms that Sucy left behind. Let's go." Diana said.

"Y-yeah!" Akko responded, calming down a bit. She was glad that Sucy had kept up with her peculiar, yet convenient habit. Akko and Diana followed Sucy's mushroom trail at a fairly brisk pace for a few minutes. After a while, the mushrooms stopped appearing, and the two witches were left wandering aimlessly.

The magnitude of the situation dawned on Akko and Diana very quickly. They had lost track of their friends, it was pitch black outside (with the exception of their wands), they were in woods that they had never once set foot in before, they were trespassing on private property, and they were lost.

Akko and Diana looked at each other in silence. Akko's face was in unbelievable shock with a facial expression that said, "How could this have happened?!" Diana's face was mystified in realization that the repercussions of their situation would be bigger than they could ever imagine. Neither girl said anything to the other. The seconds scraped by as if the two had been trapped in a world of stopped time. The breeze had stopped, so nothing made a noise except for the faint sound of the waterfall in the distance. It felt almost as if the world had come to a halt. The two witches were utterly horrified. All of a sudden, they saw a faint light in the distance, and a faraway voice that was only yelling, "Hey!"

The connections Akko made to Sucy's ghost story was more than enough to send her sprinting in the opposite direction.

Diana ran after Akko a second later. Despite not being affected by the ghost story, the tension of the situation was just too much to bear.

End of Chapter 4.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Akko and Diana burst out of the woods and back to their campsite. The two had a bit of fleeting hope that Lotte and Sucy would be waiting for them when they returned and what they had seen in the woods was just their imagination. Unfortunately, they found that they were still alone at the camp site, and the faint light and faraway voice appeared to be following them.

"Diana, what do we do?! Where do we go?!" Akko shouted in panic.

"U-uhm...run for the clearing! Staying here will be an obvious give away for whatever's following us!" Diana answered, feeling as if the situation was getting further and further from her control.

The two ran for the clearing. The spot that held such joy a few minutes ago was now the spot where they were escaping to out of fear.

"N-now what?!" Akko asked, practically begging for some direction.

This was the first time in a while where Diana was at a loss for what to say or do. She was imagining every possible action that they could take, but every result was a dead end. What could she do? Diana decided that she had to be honest with Akko about her state of mind.

"I...I don't know…" Diana said in a disheartened tone.

With the exception of the sounds of the waterfall, silence encapsulated the clearing. Before, the waterfall's sound was the most relaxing part of the evening. Now, it escalated the tension of the situation and provoked a sense of hopelessness.

"What...do you mean, Diana?" Akko said in faint disbelief. "What about Lotte and Sucy? How will we shake off whoever's following us?" The volume in Akko's voice was rising out of desperation. "Can't you come up with some kind of plan?!"

"I can't Akko!" Diana shouted. "I...can't..."

Akko didn't notice while she was yelling in disbelief, but tears had been welling up in Diana's eyes. When she admitted that she had no idea what to do, her tears began to flow free. After a few seconds of weeping, Diana fell to her knees. Akko didn't move for a few seconds. She was trying to take in how this situation had pushed someone like Diana, who was always calm, collected, and professional, even in times of joy, to tears. It then dawned on Akko that Diana was every bit as scared as she was, and yelling at her to come up with a solution on the spot had just made things worse.

"I'm sorry, Akko…" Diana said through her tears, "I shouldn't have decided to fall asleep earlier...I should've stayed awake. We would've had more time to look for Lotte and Sucy. Now we don't know where they are and our backs are against the wall...I didn't want to admit how tired I was, but I was sure nothing would go wrong. I was careless. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"

A few more seconds of Diana's sobbing passed before Akko decided to speak. She got to her knees and patted the top of Diana's head.

"Diana...I'm sorry I yelled at you...it wasn't fair that I was relying on you for every decision just now."

"…"

"This may not be exactly how you said it...but isn't there nothing wrong with acknowledging your shortcomings and places of error?"

Diana's crying suddenly stopped and she looked up at Akko.

"You're right, Diana. Nobody's perfect. Admitting where you've fallen short...makes you a better person, right?"

"Akko…"

"So what if we're not the best in one way or another? The best thing we can do is to never give up. Let's believe, Diana! After all, a believing heart is our magic, right?"

Akko got to her feet and extended her arm to Diana. In one swift movement, Diana took Akko's hand, stood up, and embraced her.

"Akko...thank you." Diana whispered.

After Diana wiped the tears from her eyes, she focused her attention back onto the situation.

"Okay, how are we going to shake the person following us? We probably don't have much time before they find us hiding here." Diana asked.

"I think we have to think outside of the box if we're gonna find a solution." Akko replied.

The two thought for a few moments before Akko interrupted the silence.

"I've got it! What if we use Dual Nova?!" Akko said as her eyes lit up.

"Dual Nova...that's the spell that we use in Potion Creation Class in case something any of us mix up becomes explosive and has any chance of damaging the classroom." Diana said as she pondered the idea. "It requires two witches to cast, but we've never used it on moving objects before, it takes a few seconds to charge up, and since you don't have much magic power, it probably has a 50% chance of failure…Now that I think about it, the fact that our target is moving most likely makes our chance of success about 10%…but I think that 10% chance is enough to give it a go!"

"Alright! Let's do this, Diana!"

"Yeah. Let's show whoever this is what two believing hearts can do!"

End of Chapter 5.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dual Nova is a spell that requires two witches in order to be successfully cast. The two casters cannot be standing further than twenty feet away from each other or else the spell will fail. The further away the witches stand from each other, the longer the cast time will be. The effects of Dual Nova is the sending of whatever it is cast on into a magical stasis. The affected object will not be able to move for at least three minutes.

"We should hide behind the boulder we were resting against earlier." Diana suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Akko said.

Akko and Diana ran to the boulder and crouched behind it quickly. As they took refuge and began to prepare to cast Dual Nova, the two witches noticed that the light that was following them had reached their campsite and the calling had continued. "Hey!" the voice shouted again. Akko and Diana couldn't help but feel as if the voice sounded familiar.

"Let's start casting!" Diana whispered to Akko. "The light is starting to make its way towards the clearing!"

"Yes!" Akko said with a determined expression. Diana had barely begun to chant the words necessary to cast Dual Nova when Akko suddenly held her hand. Diana looked up in slight confusion.

"It's for luck!" Akko said with a giggle and a slight blush. Diana returned the action with a warm smile and the two began to chant the spell's casting words as the light got closer to the clearing.

"We call upon thee from the realm of stasis where all beings dwell in eternal space and everlasting time. Honor our world with an inkling of the power that constructs the existence of your reality!"

"Hey!" The mysterious follower shouted as they burst into the clearing while Akko and Diana jumped out from behind the boulder. The process of casting the spell had given the two witches a blue aura that glowed with a hypnotic radiance.

"Come forth! Dual Nova!" Without breaking their grip on each other's hands or their wands, Akko and Diana pointed their wands at the mysterious figure that had followed them and a beautiful blast of blue light was fired. The magic spell hit its target head on and the mysterious person was frozen in place. After the spell had been successfully cast on its target, the aura that was surrounding Akko and Diana faded away.

"We did it!" Akko shouted with glee as she threw both arms into the air victoriously. "I've _never_ been able to cast Dual Nova correctly before! Yay!" Akko turned her focus to Diana who was still standing next to her. "Thank you so much, Diana! I couldn't have done this without you!" Akko gave Diana a quick hug as she knew that time was of the essence. She then began to run back in the direction of the campsite. "Come on, let's go search for Lotte and Sucy again!"

"Hold on, Akko! I want to see who this person really is." Diana said.

"Now that I think about it, I want to know too!" Akko said, running back to Diana's side.

The two witches walked up to within a few feet of their pursuer. As they approached, Akko became somewhat distracted by her and Diana's work. She wasn't really paying as much attention to their follower's identity as Diana was. When Diana got a clear view of their pursuer's face, she stopped in her tracks and had a sudden look of shock on her face.

"No way…" Diana said in disbelief. Akko took notice of Diana's reaction and ceased being mesmerized by her accomplishment of finally casting Dual Nova for the first time to find out the identity of their pursuer. Akko's jaw practically hit the ground out of surprise when she saw who the mysterious follower was.

"Holy crap, it's Andrew! Why is he here?!"

Suddenly, an expression of enlightenment formed on Diana's face. Her expression said something along the lines of, "So _that's_ what that was! Of course!" and "I am so stupid. How did I _not_ figure that out before?!"

"Hey, Akko?"

"Yes, Diana?"

"Do you remember that hand-painted sign from earlier today that warned us about going onto this private property?"

"Yeah..."

"I thought I recognized the writing on that sign, and I just realized that it was Andrew's writing I was thinking of."

"Wait...does that mean…?"

"Yes. We trespassed on the Hanbridge's private property."

"Yeah, that would explain everything." said another person's voice that came from behind Akko and Diana.

Without even flinching, Akko spun around and picked up a twig that was resting next to her feet. She began flailing it at whoever this new person was, not in a reaction that said that she was scared, but one that said that she was tired of this unfortunate series of events.

"H-hey! Stop that! Come on, don't either of you recognize me?! Diana! Call her off or something!

"...Frank?!" Diana said surprised.

"Frank…?" Akko said as she snapped out of her blind fury while she tried to remember who exactly Frank was amongst all of the events she had endured throughout the evening. "Wait...you're the guy that has the hots for Lotte, right?"

"Wait, what?!" Diana said, clearly caught off guard. After a second passed, that shock turned into a chuckle "Aww, Frank, do you have a crush?"

"Wh-what do you think you're saying? I have no idea what you're talking about!" Frank said with a flustered tone and a blushing face. "Why are you putting it like that, Akko?!"

"Oh, so you _admit_ it!" Diana said, quick to notice Frank's slip of the tongue.

"Wh-what do you mean?!" stuttered Frank. He thought about what he said for a second, and his blush intensified. "Oh, crap!"

Akko and Diana let out a hearty laugh. Now that their pursuers had turned out to be allies, the tension had deflated like a balloon with holes poked in it.

"Look, do you guys want an explanation about where Lotte and Sucy are or do you want to talk about my lovelife?" Frank said in a scriter tone than he was used to.

Akko stopped her laughing for a brief period to answer Frank's question.

"Yeah, an explanation would be good." she said.

Frank cleared his throat and began his decently long explanation. "Ok, Andrew and his dad are pretty sick at the moment. Andrew's dad has it much worse, but Andrew told me that he wasn't feeling too well himself. I decided to get some medicine for them and I arrived at the manor around forty minutes ago. After Andrew's dad took a dose of medicine, he decided to go to bed early. I suggested that Andrew and I take a walk in the woods on his property before the sun set so that he'd move around a bit and get some fresh air. We ran into Lotte and Sucy while we were walking and told them that Andrew's dad probably wouldn't take kindly to witches trespassing on his property. As we speak, they're waiting at the manor for us to get you two. Andrew told everyone else in his manor to not to tell his dad of you four trespassing here."

"Hey, that's great!" Akko said with excitement. "We should get back to the manor and meet up with Lotte and Sucy ASAP!"

"Yeah, just follow me and we'll be back at the manor in no time!" Frank said.

"Hold on, you two. We have to pack up all of the stuff we brought with us first." Diana interjected.

The three waited for Dual Nova to wear off on Andrew and then the group packed up all of the camping gear and began to walk back to the Hanbridge's manor.

"Uh, hey...sorry about freezing you in place with our magic, Andrew…" Akko said, rather embarrassed.

"It's quite alright, Akko." Andrew said. "I would've done the same in your situation. The whole thing was just a big misunderstanding."

"Heh heh, thanks." Akko said with a smile.

"I honestly had no idea that your family owned so much of the land behind your manor, Andrew." Diana said, joining in on the conversation.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Many people don't know this, but my father really enjoys walking in the woods. He finds it relaxing if his workload becomes too great. The manor was built on this land for that very reason." Andrew said.

"Is that so?" Diana said. "I never would've thought he was that kind of person."

"I guess no matter who you are, sometimes you just need a nature walk!" Akko said enthusiastically.

"Alright, guys! Here we are at the manor!" Frank announced. Andrew opened the back door of the manor and the group entered.

"Akko!" Lotte yelled as she saw her and the group enter. "Did you go on a walk too? The sun set and I was beginning to worry about you!"

"Heh heh, that's funny, Lotte, because I was worrying about you and Sucy not coming back from your walk before dark!" Akko replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sucy said. "We figured that would worry you. We wanted to contact you and Diana, but we had no way of doing so."

"It's alright, you guys! Everything worked out!" Akko said as she smiled.

Across the room, Diana began talking with Andrew and Frank.

"Hey, if it's not too much trouble, would it be asking too much for you to organize some transportation back to the Luna Nova Leyline?"

"Yes, that won't be any trouble. I'll do so at once." Andrew said.

"I guess it's pretty fortunate that Andrew's dad decided to go to bed early, huh?" Frank said as he smiled.

"It is." Diana agreed. "You must be pretty happy too, Frank. You got to see Lotte again!"

It was pretty obvious that Lotte heard what Diana said from across the room, because her face slowly began to burn red.

"Hey, are you feeling okay, Lotte?" Akko asked. "Your face is turning red. It's not too hot in here, is it?"

"N-no, I'm fine, Akko." Lotte stuttered.

"Hey, Frank's face is turning red, too!" Sucy observed.

"No it's not!" Frank snapped, trying and failing to hide his blush.

While the situation embarrassed Lotte and Frank, they couldn't help think it was pretty funny, too. After a second or two, the room was filled with enthusiastic laughter.

End of Chapter 6.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 (Epilogue)

It had been two days since the camping trip and Diana was walking across Luna Nova's campus on the way back to her room from Potion Creation Class. She had a stop to make before heading back, though. Diana knocked on the door to Akko's dorm room. She was surprised to see Akko herself answer the door. Diana spent a second wondering why Lotte and Sucy weren't in the room, but remembered that they were most likely eating breakfast in the dining hall.

"You aren't sleeping, Akko?"

"Nah. I went to bed early last night. I didn't feel like going to class today. I'm feeling pretty anxious about yesterday's test, you know?"

"That's actually why I'm here earlier than usual. We didn't take any notes in class today, so I didn't have to make a copy for you. We just received our tests and looked over the material. The professor wanted me to give you your test back."

"What?! No, that's alright, Diana! I really don't think that's a good idea…"

Akko closed her eyes and hid them behind her hands. To counter this action, Diana took Akko's test in her hands and tapped the few sheets of paper against her shoulder.

"Hey, come on, Akko! You should at least look at your test before judging how you did!

Akko peeked through her fingers to see Diana holding her test in front of her. Enhancing the sight with a smile and a slight blush, Diana was proud to present Akko with a score that made her shout with joy.

"No way! 95 percent?! That's the highest grade I've _ever_ gotten on a test here!" Akko continued to express her excited celebration by jumping around the dorm room and shouting "Yay!" After a few seconds, Akko turned her attention to Diana. She didn't calm down, though. She hugged Diana with an enthusiasm as if she hadn't seen her in years. The act of affection caused Diana's blush to intensify once again. She didn't mind, though. In fact, she had become quite fond of Akko's hugs. Not really knowing how else to praise Akko, Diana decided to be formal about her next words.

"I'm so proud of you, Akko! I knew you had it in you!" Diana said.

Suddenly, it appeared as if a light bulb lit up in Akko's mind, because she presented Diana with a very important question.

"Hey, Diana...thanks so much for helping me study for this test. This may be asking a lot, but...can you help me study material for a few other classes?"

Akko's request made Diana so happy, she thought that she was going to burst with joy.

"I would be delighted, Akko!" Diana said with a grin. "I, uh...also wanted to thank you for consoling me during the camping trip. It really meant a lot to me that you helped me out."

"No problem, Diana!" Akko replied, keeping her smile as strong as it was before. "Thanks for comforting me after we all told ghost stories. That meant a lot to me too!"

"So, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for more studying?" Diana asked.

"Yeah!" Akko answered.

"Ok, see you later!" Diana said as she left the dorm room to return to her own.

The camping trip that Diana had taken with Akko and her friends was more of a vacation than a necessary part of Luna Nova education. However, a camping trip was something that Diana had always wanted to go on, and she was glad that she was able to accompany Akko of all people. There was some unexpected hardship during the excursion, but Diana and Akko feel that they became better people and closer friends because of it. The trip didn't put them any closer to graduation, but that didn't matter. All that mattered to the two witches at the moment was the fact that they were wearing smiles that shone brighter than the sun.

-The Luna Nova Camping Trip: The End.

 **Author's Note: Hey, thank you so much for reading this story! This is the first fan fiction I've written, and I'm honestly surprised that I wrote as much as I did! I hope the story was cute enough! I'm definitely in the mood to write some more, so look out for another story in the future!**


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